Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-02-16

locked up the Office and then hurried VI
the track until she arrived at the slight
curve. Then she made haste more
slowly" for there were the men. STEP
piog behind a clump of bushes she
watched them. They had stopped and
were doing something, shs could not at
first see what, to the track. Pretty
soon up came rail, and in a minute
more it was thrown down a steep ledge
within four feet of the track-where
the whole tram must be pre"'pitated In
.ess than an hour II some .A.ng could
not be done to warn them. Mike saw
1t all now, and for moment stood, her
eyes diiated with horror, while she saw
the scoundrels shake their fists toward
her way and heard an ImprecatiOn.
Then they passed on and Mike, grow
ing cold n the sudden extremity
turned and sped toward the depot.
The rail had been removed on curve
which was shaded or the west side by
a hisl bank SO that at go 1t was quite
dusk there, and as the trains always
came IN on down grade they cana at
full speed. So Mike thought to herself
''I'm so glad came, for now III hurry
and telegraph TO Strattord before the
train comes by. and then well see Mr..
Tramps, how your little scheme comes
out"
She reached the Office and looked at
the clock. Five minutes to 81 and the
train left Stratford at 5.03. Well, eight
minutes Is plenty Of time if she could
''raise" Stratlort. She graSped the
key. "Sd-sd.sd," clicked the instru
ment. Never before was there SD i'm
patient an operator on that line. With
her eyes on the clock, which seemed
then, If ever, to say ''forever-never-
never-fOrever," she kept up the call.
Somsbody on the other side "broke
her" twice, but she gave al the danger
signals she could think of and kept on.
Tie moments kept on-one, two, three,
four, iye-slowly pealed the old clock
each strike an agony to the girl.
Meanwhile the agent at Stratfor1
could not operate at all, and the boy
could and who served as general chore-
boy about the place had gone for the
COWS and there was no one to answer
the call on which SO much depended.
A few minutes AMI 1t WAS too late,
and Mike was in new dilemma.
Mike closed the key in despair. She
did not know the train sigpals, but
seized the red flag under the old desk
and ran for dear life-literally the dear
lives of her fellow-creatureS. Not until
she got to the wrecked place did she
remember that she must go beyond the
N St thnpt cha ytrnttlI ha of
no use. Already she heard the ap-
preaching train rumble In the distance.
Faster, fastershe sped round the curve
straight on up the track. She could
see them now coming in. On they
rushed, the great engine bent on de-
stroyihg its precious freight. Mike
stopped in the middle of the track and
frantieally swung her red flag, but still
the monster rushed toward he, showing
no abatement of speed.
Nike waited with a sinking heart
On, why did everything go against her?
Was it the will of God that thls dread
f,si s-i.iAs must happen? The engine
was Nose upon her and she ran up on a
iuiting rock by the railroad still waving
her scarlet 1ag-but just rs the engine
came alongside of her she heard the
sharp click OF tie call-bell in the engine
and saw the fireman push the engineer
aside and reverse the engine. The con-
ductOr, who hal just seen her and eX-
citedly pulled the bell-rope, jumped of
aad came toward her. But the reaction
was TOO much for poor Mike, and she
could only gasp out, Round the
curveln and then she was a white heap
with no sense of anything.
Passengers rushed out, and, after
some had been to the curve and had seen
what the little girl had saved them
from, no lady III the land could be so
royalty waited upon as she was when
she had been lifted into the car and
told modestly her little story. II was
some little time before the track was
ready for the train to proceed, and,
when Mike got out at her own station
many kind hands pressed hers in fare
well, and the conductor left something
In her hand, too. just as the train left,
saying, lyon are the bravest little
woman in the State"
Not until she had been in the Office a
good half hour with her father, who
had got home from his lawsuit, and
wondered what made the train late and
where Mike had gone to-and told
him all the story did Mike think to
look at the packes. Then she read a
note: "Will Miss Eunice Markham
accept the accompanying from the
friends she so brayely saved August %,
1SS6?-
The note was wrapped round $500 in
bank notes.
''Oh, papa! now you can pay of the
mortgage On the house," cried Mike,
and the father said:
81 declare, Nick, you get higher
wages as agent than dop'